Memory storage device and repairing method thereof

ABSTRACT

A memory storage device and a repairing method thereof are provided. The memory storage device has a rewritable non-volatile memory module having multiple physical units. The physical units include at least one backup physical unit which is configured to be accessed only by a specific command set and stored with at least one customized data. The method includes receiving a specific read command from a host system for reading the backup physical unit and transmitting the customized data therein to the host system when the memory storage device is capable of receiving and processing commands from the host system, the specific read command belongs to the specific command set; and writing the customized data from the host system into a corresponding physical unit to restore the memory storage device to a factory setting when receiving the writing command from the host system for writing the customized data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan applicationserial no. 101124630, filed on Jul. 9, 2012. The entirety of theabove-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by referenceherein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a repairing method of a memory storage device,and more particularly, to a repairing method capable of restoring amemory storage device to a factory setting at client end and the memorystorage device using the same.

2. Description of Related Art

Since flash memories are adapted have the characteristics ofnon-volatile, power saving, smaller size, and non-mechanical innerstructure, flash memories are suitable for being used as portablestorage devices. Portable device such as a memory card or a flash driveadopts flash memory as storage medium therein.

However, while using a portable storage device, users may notice thatabnormal operations may occur due to personal factors such as improperuse, or various other unexpected reasons. Abnormal operations of theportable storage device may cause problems such as partial data loss, oreven disasters like incapable of power-on for data accessing.Accordingly, sending the portable storage back to the manufacturer maybe the only option since the users may not be able to repair it all bythemselves.

The memory storage device may not be recovered back to it factorysetting in a short period of time as the customers required, because themaintain department of the manufacturer may need to handle all productsfrom various region or may be lack of related information of theproducts during their production. From the viewpoint of the user, whensending device for maintenance, not only does it cost money, but alsorequires a long period of time for waiting. In view of above, it isnecessary to develop a mechanism that allows users to repair the storagedevice by themselves.

Nothing herein should be construed as an admission of knowledge in theprior art of any portion of the present invention. Furthermore, citationor identification of any document in this application is not anadmission that such document is available as prior art to the presentinvention, or that any reference forms a part of the common generalknowledge in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention is directed to a memory storage device and arepairing method thereof, which may conveniently restore the memorystorage device to factory setting.

A repairing method of a memory storage device is provided, which isadapted for a memory storage device having a rewritable non-volatilememory module, the rewritable non-volatile memory module comprises aplurality of physical units, in which the physical units include atleast one backup physical unit, and said backup physical unit isconfigured to be accessed only by a specific command set, and the saidbackup physical unit stores at least one customized data. The methodincludes: receiving a specific read command from a host system forreading said backup physical unit when the memory storage device iscapable of receiving and processing commands from the host system, andthe specific read command belongs to the specific command set. Themethod further includes: transmitting the customized data within saidbackup physical unit to the host system. The method further includes:writing all of the customized data from the host system into acorresponding physical unit to restore the memory storage device to afactory setting when receiving a writing command from the host systemfor writing the customized data.

From another aspect, the invention provides a memory storage device,which includes a rewritable non-volatile memory module, a connector anda memory controller. The memory controller is coupled to the rewritablenon-volatile memory module and the connector. In which, the rewritablenon-volatile memory module includes a plurality of physical units, saidphysical units includes at least one backup physical unit, and saidbackup physical unit is configured to be accessed only by a specificcommand set and stored with at least one customized data. The memorycontroller is configured for receiving a specific read command from ahost system for reading said backup physical unit and transmitting thecustomized data within said backup physical unit to the host system whenthe memory storage device is coupled to the host system by the connectorand capable of receiving and processing commands from the host system,and the specific read command belongs to the specific command set. Thememory controller is further configured for writing the customized datafrom the host system into a corresponding physical unit to restore thememory storage device to a factory setting when receiving a writingcommand from the host system for writing the customized data.

From yet another aspect, the invention provides a repairing method of amemory storage device, in which the memory storage device has arewritable non-volatile memory module and a boot ROM, and the rewritablenon-volatile memory module includes a plurality of physical units, andsaid physical units include at least one backup physical unit, and saidbackup physical unit is configured to be accessed only by a specificcommand set. The method includes: receiving a specific read command froma host system for reading said backup physical unit when the memorystorage device is coupled to the host system and only capable ofexecuting boot codes within the boot ROM, and the specific read commandbelongs to the specific command set. The method further includes:transmitting the customized data within said backup physical unit to thehost system. The method further includes: writing the customized datafrom the host system into a corresponding physical unit to restore thememory storage device to a factory setting when receiving a writingcommand from the host system for writing the customized data.

From yet another aspect, the invention provides a memory storage device,which includes a rewritable non-volatile memory module, a connector anda memory controller. The memory controller is coupled to the rewritablenon-volatile memory and the connector. In which, the rewritablenon-volatile memory module includes a plurality of physical units, saidphysical units includes at least one backup physical unit, and saidbackup physical unit is configured to be accessed only by a specificcommand set, in which the specific command set includes the specificread command. The memory controller is configured for transmitting thecustomized data within the backup physical unit when the memory storagedevice is coupled to a host system and only capable of executing bootcodes within the boot ROM while receiving a specific read command fromthe host system for reading the at least one backup physical unit. Thememory controller is configured for writing the customized data from thehost system into a corresponding physical unit to restore the memorystorage device to a factory setting when receiving a writing commandfrom the host system for writing the customized data.

In view of above, the invention is directed to additionally store thecustomized data related to production information and structureinformation into the backup physical units that are highly restrictedfor accessing. When the memory storage device leaves the factory, if thehost system at client end accesses said backup units thorough thespecific command set, the memory storage device may refill thecustomized data which backed up in the backup physical unit to thecorresponding storing address. Accordingly, the memory storage devicemay be restored to the factory state in accordance to the productioninformation and structure information.

It should be understood, however, that this Summary may not contain allof the aspects and embodiments of the present invention, is not meant tobe limiting or restrictive in any manner, and that the invention asdisclosed herein is and will be understood by those of ordinary skill inthe art to encompass obvious improvements and modifications thereto.

To make the above features and advantages of the invention morecomprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings aredescribed in detail as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a host system using a memory storagedevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a computer, an input/output device,and a memory storage device according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a host system and a memory storagedevice according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the memory storage device in FIG.1A.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a memory controller according toan exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating management of physical unitsaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recovering structure tableaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a repairing method of a memorystorage device according to a first exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of restoring the memorystorage device to a factory setting by writing the customized data intoa usage area according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a repairing method of a memorystorage device according to a second exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of restoring the memorystorage device to a factory setting by writing the customized data intoa usage area according to a second exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers areused in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or likeparts.

Embodiments of the present invention may comprise any one or more of thenovel features described herein, including in the Detailed Description,and/or shown in the drawings. As used herein, “at least one”, “one ormore”, and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctiveand disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “atleast on of A, B and C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, “one or more ofA, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, or A, B and C together.

It is to be noted that the term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or moreof that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “atleast one” can be used interchangeably herein.

First Exemplary Embodiment

Generally, a memory storage device (a.k.a. the memory storage device)includes a rewritable non-volatile memory module and a controller(a.k.a. the control circuit). The memory storage device is usuallyconfigured together with a host system so that the host system may writedata into or read data from the memory storage device.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a host system using a memory storagedevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

The host system 1000 includes a computer 1100 and an input/output (I/O)device 1106. The computer 1100 includes a microprocessor 1102, a randomaccess memory (RAM) 1104, a system bus 1108, a data transmissioninterface 1110 and a main storage device 1112. The I/O device 1106includes a mouse 1202, a keyboard 1204, a display 1206 and a printer1208 as shown in FIG. 1B. It should be understood that the devicesillustrated in FIG. 1B are not intended to limit the I/O device 1106,and the I/O device 1106 may further include other devices.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the memory storage device100 is coupled to other devices of the host system 1000 through the datatransmission interface 1110. By using the microprocessor 1102, the RAM1104 and the Input/Output device 1106, the host system 1000 may writedata into or read from the memory storage device 100. For example, thememory storage device 100 may be a memory card 1214, a flash drive 1212,or a solid state drive (SSD) 1216 as shown in FIG. 1B.

Generally, the host system 1000 may be any system capable of storingdata. Although the present exemplary embodiment is described using acomputer system as the host system 1000, in another exemplary embodimentof the invention, the host system 1000 may also be a cell phone, adigital camera, a video camera, a telecommunication device, an audioplayer or a video player. For example, when the host system is a digitalcamera 1310, the memory storage device may be a SD (Secure Digital) card1312, a MMC (Multimedia Card) card 1314, a memory stick 1316, a CF(Compact Flash) card 1318 or an embedded storage device 1320 (as shownin FIG. 1C). The embedded storage device 1320 includes an embedded MMC(eMMC). It should be mentioned that the eMMC is directly coupled to asubstrate of the host system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the memory storage device 100 in FIG. 1A.Referring to FIG. 2, the memory storage device 100 includes a connector102, a memory controller 104 and a rewritable non-volatile memory module106.

The connector 102 is coupled to the memory controller 104 and configuredfor coupling to the host system 1000. In the present exemplaryembodiment, the type of data transmission interface supported by theconnector 102 is Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. However, in otherexemplary embodiments, the connector 102 may also be a serial advancedtechnology attachment (SATA) interface, an embedded MMC (eMMC)interface, a Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) interface,an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394interface, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Express interface,a secure digital (SD) interface, a memory stick (MS) interface, acompact flash (CF) interface, an integrated device electronics (IDE)interface or other suitable interfaces, the invention is not limitedthereto.

The memory controller 104 executes a plurality of logic gates or controlcommands which are implemented in a hardware form or in a firmware form,so as to perform operations of writing, reading or erasing data in therewritable non-volatile memory module 106 according to the commands ofthe host 1000. In which, based on the repairing method of the presentexemplary embodiment, the memory controller 104 is specially used tobackup important information of the memory storage device 100 related toproduction and structure information before leaving the factory. Thebackup data may restore the memory storage device 100 to factory settingwhen receiving a command that belongs to a specific command set from thehost system 1000.

The rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 is coupled to the memorycontroller 104. The rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 includes aplurality of physical units. In an exemplary embodiment, each physicalunit is composed by a physical block (a physical block includes aplurality of physical pages). Nonetheless, the invention is not limitedthereto. In other exemplary embodiments, each physical unit may also becomposed by a plurality of physical blocks, the number of the physicalunits composed is not limited in particularly in the invention. Forexample, the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 is a Multi LevelCell (MLC) NAND flash memory module, but the invention is not limitedthereto. The rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 may also be aSingle Level Cell (SLC) NAND flash memory module, other flash memorymodules or any memory module having the same features.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a memory controller according toan exemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, thememory controller 104 includes a host system interface 1041, a memorymanagement circuit 1043, a memory interface 1045 and a storage unit1047.

The host system interface 1041 is coupled to the memory managementcircuit 1043, and configured for coupling to the host system 1000through the connector 102. The host system interface 1041 is configuredfor receiving and identifying commands and data transmitted from thehost system 1000. Further, the commands and data transmitted from thehost system 1000 are transmitted to the memory management circuit 1043through the host system interface 1041. In the present exemplaryembodiment, the host system interface 1041 is a USB interface which iscorresponding to the connector 102. In other exemplary embodiments, thehost system interface 1041 may also be a SATA interface, an MMCinterface, a PATA interface, an IEEE 1394 interface, a PCI Expressinterface, a SD interface, an MS interface, a CF interface, an IDEinterface, or other suitable interfaces.

The storage unit 1047 is coupled to the memory management circuit 1043.The storage unit 1047 at least includes a boot ROM 1047-1 and a randomaccess memory (RAM) 1047-3. In which, the boot ROM 1047-1 configured forstoring boot codes. The RAM 1047-3 may be a static random access memory(SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), the invention is notlimited thereto. The RAM 1047-3 is configured for temporarily storingcommands and data from the host system 1000 or data from the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106.

The memory management circuit 1043 is configured for controlling overalloperations of the memory controller 104. More specifically, the memorymanagement circuit 1043 has a plurality of control commands, the controlcommands are executed to perform operations on the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106 when the memory storage device 100 ispowered on.

In the present exemplary embodiment of the invention, the controlcommands of the memory management circuit 1043 may be stored as programcodes (i.e., firmware codes) in a specific area of the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106 (e.g., the system area in the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106 exclusively used for storing systemdata). In addition, the memory management circuit 1043 has amicroprocessor unit (not illustrated). The boot code within the boot ROM1047-1 is executed by the microprocessor unit to load the controlcommands stored in the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 to theRAM 1047-3 when the memory controller 104 is enabled. Next, the controlcommands are executed by the microprocessor unit in responding to thecommand of the host system 1000 to access the rewritable non-volatilememory module 106.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the control commandsof the memory management circuit 1043 may also be implemented in a formof firmware. For example, the memory management circuit 1043 has amicroprocessor unit (not illustrated) and a ROM (not illustrated), andthe control commands are burned into the ROM. During the operation ofthe memory storage device 100, the commands are executed by themicroprocessor unit in responding to the command of the host system 1000to access the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106.

Further, in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the controlcommands of the memory management circuit 1043 may also be implementedin a form of hardware. For example, the memory management circuit 1043includes a microprocessor, a memory management unit, a memory writingunit, a memory reading unit, a memory erasing unit and a data processingunit. The memory management unit, the memory writing unit, the memoryreading unit, the memory erasing unit and the data processing unit arecoupled to the microprocessor. In which, the memory management unit isconfigured for managing the physical units of the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106. The memory writing unit is configuredfor providing a writing command to the rewritable non-volatile memorymodule 106, thereby writing data into the rewritable non-volatile memorymodule 106. The memory reading unit is configured for providing areading command to the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106,thereby reading data from the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106.The memory erasing unit is configured for providing an erasing commandto the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106, thereby erasing datafrom the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106. The memoryprocessing unit is configured for processing data for writing into therewritable non-volatile memory module 106 and data read from therewritable non-volatile memory module 106.

The memory interface 1045 is coupled to the memory management circuit1043 and configured for coupling the memory controller 104 and therewritable non-volatile memory module 106. In this case, the memorycontroller 104 may perform related operations to the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106. That is, the data for writing into therewritable non-volatile memory module 106 is converted to a formatacceptable to the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 through thememory interface 1045.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the memory controller104 further includes an error checking and correcting unit 3002. Theerror checking and correcting circuit 3002 is coupled to the memorymanagement circuit 1043 and configured for performing an error checkingand correcting process to ensure the correctness of data. Specifically,when a writing command from the host system 1000 is received by thememory management circuit 1043, the error checking and correctingcircuit 3002 generates an error checking and correcting code (ECC code)for data corresponding to the writing command, and the memory managementcircuit 1043 writes the data and the ECC code corresponding to thewriting command into the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106.Next, when reading data from the rewritable non-volatile memory module106, the memory management circuit 1043 also reads the ECC Codecorresponding to such data, and the error checking and correctingcircuit 3002 performs an error checking and correcting process to theread data based on the read ECC code, so as to identify whether data haserror bits.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the memorycontroller 104 further includes a power management circuit 3006. Thepower management unit 3006 is coupled to the memory management circuit1043 and configured for controlling the power of the memory storagedevice 100.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating management of physical unitsof a rewritable non-volatile memory module according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention. The terms, such as “retrieve”, “exchange”,“group”, “alternate” and so forth, are logical concepts which describeoperations in the physical units of the rewritable non-volatile memorymodule 106. That is, the physical units of the rewritable non-volatilememory module 106 are logically operated, but actual positions of thephysical units of the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 are notchanged.

Referring to FIG. 4, the memory controller 104 divides all physicalunits of the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106 into at least abackup area 1061 and a usage area 1063 during the manufacturing process(i.e., before leaving the factory) of the memory storage device 100. Inwhich, the backup area 1061 includes backup physical units 405(1) to405(B) with B being an positive integer. The backup physical units405(1) to 405(B) are configured to be accessed only by a specificcommand set. The specific command set includes various vendor commandssuch as a specific read command, a specific writing command and aspecific erasing command. The memory controller 104 may not performoperations of writing, reading or erasing data to the backup area 1061unless a command which belongs to the specific command set is received.

The usage area 1063 includes physical units 410(0) to 410(N). The memorymanagement circuit 1043 in the memory controller 104 logically groupsthe physical units 410(0) to 410(N) into a data area 502, a spare area504, a system area 506 and a replacement area 508. In which, marks F, S,R and N as illustrated in FIG. 4 are positive integers, eachrepresenting the number of the physical units configured in each area,and may be varied based on a capacity of the rewritable non-volatilememory module 106 used by the manufacturer of the memory storage device100.

Logically, the physical units belonged to the data area 502 and thespare area 504 are configured for storing data from the host system1000. Specifically, the physical units of the spare area 502 is regardedas the physical units that have been stored with data, whereas thephysical units of the spare area 504 are physical units configured forwriting new data. In other words, the physical units of the spare area504 are either blank or available physical units (i.e., no data recordedor data marked as invalid). When receiving a writing command and datafrom the host system 1000, the memory management unit 1043 retrieves aphysical unit from the spare area 504 and writes data into the retrievedphysical unit, so as to replace the physical unit in the data area 502.Alternatively, when a required data merging operation to a logical unitis performed, the memory management circuit 1043 retrieves a physicalunit from the spare area 504 and writes data therein, so as to replaceto the physical unit previously mapped with said logical unit.

The physical units logically belonged to the system area 506 isconfigured for recording system data. For example, system data includesinformation related to firmware code, manufacturer and model of therewritable non-volatile memory module 106, the number of physical blocksin the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106, the number of thephysical pages in each physical block, and so forth. It should bementioned that in FIG. 4, the backup area 1061 is illustratedindependently outside of the usage area 1063. However, in practice, thebackup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) within the backup area 1061 arebelonged to the physical units of the system area 506. Therefore FIG. 4is illustrated merely for clarity of the description.

When a physical unit in the data area 502, the spare area 504 or thesystem area 506 is damaged, the physical unit logically belonged to thereplacement area 508 is for replacing such damaged physical unit. Morespecifically, during the operation of the memory storage device 100, ifthere are still available physical units in the replacement area 508 inthe case where the physical unit in the data area 502 is damaged, thememory management circuit 1043 retrieves an available physical unit fromthe replacement area 508 for replacing the damaged physical unit in thedata area 502. Therefore, during the operation of the memory storagedevice 100, the physical units of the data area 502, the spare area 504,the system area 506 and the replacement area 406 may be dynamicallychanged. For example, the physical units used for storing dataalternately may be dynamically belonged to the data area 502 or thespare area 504.

In order to allow the host system 100 to access the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106, the memory management circuit 1043configures a plurality of logical units 610(0) to 610(L) for mapping tothe physical units 410(0) to 410(F−1) in the data area 502. Morespecifically, the memory management circuit 1403 provides the configuredlogical units 610(0) to 610(L) to the host system 1000, and maintains alogical unit-physical unit mapping table for recording the correspondingrelations of the logical unit 610(0) to 610(L) and the physical units410(0) to 410(F−1). Therefore, when the host system 1000 is intended toaccess a logical address, the memory management circuit 1043 searches aphysical unit mapped to said logical address based on the logicalunit-physical unit mapping table for accessing.

In the present exemplary embodiment, before the memory storage device100 leaves the factory, manufacturer will format the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106 for the first time. More specifically,the manufacturer may use a mass production tool to instruction thememory controller 104 to perform an initialization process to thephysical units 410(0) to 410(N) within the usage area 1063. For example,the memory controller 104 erases all data from each page address withinthe physical units 410(0) to 410(N) to a 0xFF data, and performs a diskscanning (e.g., a reading/writing test) to identify normal physicalunits from damaged physical units. Next, writing customized data such asproduction information and a structure information related to the memorystorage device 100 into the usage area 1063 (e.g., writing into thesystem area 506 which is used to store system data). In which, thecustomized data may include at least one of a master boot record (MBR),a boot sector, a file allocation table, a root directory, a devicespecification information (e.g., speed, capacity, model and productionname of the memory storage device 100), a customized application, aburner software and firmware codes. Furthermore, a part of thecustomized data is data that may be accessed indirectly by areading/writing operation from a user during the operation of the memorystorage device 100. For example, when the user is intended to write datainto the memory storage device 100, or to delete, erase data from thememory storage device 100, even though the user is not directlymodifying the file allocation table, the content of the file allocationtable may be changed accordingly. Another part of the customized data isdata that related to maintain the main operations of the memory storagedevice 100 such as a burner software or firmware codes, this type of thecustomized data may not be modified directly or indirectly by the user.A yet another part of the customized data relates to the additionalfeature of the memory storage device 100 (e.g., such as customizedapplication), this type of the customized data may be added or deletedusing a specific command or tool.

Moreover, the mass production tool may instruction the memory controller104 using the specific command set to write all customized data(established and written into the usage area 1063 during the first timeof formatting the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106)additionally to the backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) within thebackup area 1061. For example, the mass production tool may firstlyissue a specific erasing command of the specific command set, so thatthe memory controller 104 may erase the data within the backup physicalunits 405(1) to 405(B). Next, the mass production toll issues a specificwriting command, so that the memory controller 104 may write thecustomized data into the backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B). It isnoted that, although a specific type of customized data is stored in theusage area 1063 using an entire physical unit, the actual data volumemay be smaller than a designated volume of one physical unit. In thepresent exemplary embodiment, when writing various customized data intothe backup area 1061, the memory controller 104 incorporates thecustomized data according to its size to the backup physical unit 405(1)to 405(B). Namely, the amount of the physical units used for storing allcustomized data in the usage area 1603 may be larger than the number ofthe backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B). For example, it is assumedthat each physical unit is a physical block in the present exemplaryembodiment, the memory controller 104 uses a entire physical block inthe usage area 1063 as a storage space for a device specificationinformation even though the device specification information merelyoccupies two physical pages. However, in the present exemplaryembodiment, when writing the device specification information into thebackup area 1061, the memory controller 104, for example, writes othercustomized data such as the file allocation table and the devicespecification information into the same backup physical unit. That is,the device specification information does not occupy one entire physicalunit all by itself.

In addition, during the operation of formatting the memory storagedevice 100 for the first time, the mass production tool further issues aspecific writing command to instruction the memory controller 104 toestablish a recovering structure table in each of the physical units405(1) to 405(B), and each recovering structure table records acorresponding relation between a logical address and the customized datarecorded in the corresponding backup physical unit. In which, eachlogical address is respectively mapped to a physical unit correspondingto each customized data, wherein the physical units is in the usage area1063 and the customized data is written therein. FIG. 5 is a schematicdiagram illustrating a recovering structure table according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, therecovering structure table 50 includes a customized data name filed 53and a logical address field 55. In which, a logical addresscorresponding to the MBR is LBA(10), a logical address corresponding tothe boot sector is LBA(20), a logical address corresponding to the fileallocation table is LBA(30), a logical address corresponding to the rootdirectory is LBA(40), a logical address corresponding to the devicespecification information is LBA(50) and a logical address correspondingto the customized application is LBA(100).

In other exemplary embodiment, the memory controller 104 records achecksum corresponding to each customized data in the recoveringstructure table. For example, adding a field in the recovering structuretable 50 as shown in FIG. 5 to record the checksum of each customizeddata. In addition, if the number of the backup physical units 405(1) to405(B) is greater than 1, then each recovering structure table mayfurther records a physical address of the next backup physical unit. Forexample, adding a new field in the end of the recovering structure table50 to record a physical address of the next backup physical unit.

In view of above, before the memory storage device 100 leaves thefactory, the memory controller 104 may divide the backup area 1061 whichmay only be accessed by the specific command set from all of thephysical units within the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106, andadditionally backs up various customized data (established duringformatting the memory storage device 100 for the first time) to thebackup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) within the backup area 1061.

When the memory storage device 100 has left the factory and sold to theuser, if the user discovers that the memory storage device 100 operatesabnormally during the operation, a repairing application may bedownloaded to the main storage device 1122 by connecting the service website provided by the manufacturer through the host system 1000.Alternatively, if the repairing application is stored in a compact diskand sold along with the memory storage device 100 to the user, the usermay also install the repairing application within the compact disk tothe main storage device 1112. When the memory storage device 100 isconnected to the host system 1000, the user may execute the repairingapplication in the host system 1000 to control the memory controller 104in the memory storage device 100 to restore the memory storage device100 to a factory setting according to the commands from the repairingapplication. In other words, the user may complete the recoveringprocess of the memory storage device 100 by using the repairingapplication.

More specifically, when the memory storage device 100 is connected tothe host system 1000 and the memory storage device 100 is capable ofreceiving and processing commands from the host system 1000, whichindicating that the memory controller 104 may access the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106 according to commands issued by the hostsystem 1000. In this case, once the repairing application is activatedby the host system 1000, the repairing application may issue a specificread command to the memory storage device for reading the backupphysical units 405(1) to 405(B). When the specific read command isreceived by the memory controller 104, all of the customized data withinthe backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) and the recovering structuretable are transmitted together to the host system 1000. For example, foreach of the customized data, the memory controller 1045 may obtain thechecksum from the recovering structure table and confirm the accuracy ofthe customized data using cyclic redundancy check (CRC) process, andtransmitting the customized data to the host system 1000 when no erroris found.

After the recovering structure table and customized data are transmittedby the memory storage device 100 are received by the host system 1000,the repairing application sent a plurality of writing command accordingto contents of the recovering structure table, so that each customizeddata may be written back into the usage area 1063 of the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106. In which, a logical address to bewritten included in each write command is the logical addresscorresponding to the customized data recorded in the recoveringstructure table. In the present exemplary embodiment, the repairingapplication writes each customized data into the usage area 1063 of therewritable non-volatile memory module 106 according to a specificsequence (e.g., the priority of the data).

When the writing commands issued by the host system 1000 for writing thecustomized data are received by the memory controller 104, as for eachof the writing commands, the memory controller 104 writes the customizeddata corresponding to the writing command back to a physical unit of theusage area 1063, wherein the physical unit is mapped to the logicaladdress included in the corresponding write command. After allcustomized data are written into the usage area 1063, the memory storagedevice 100 may restore to the factory state in accordance to theproduction information and structure information.

In an exemplary embodiment, when the memory storage device 100 iscoupled to the host system 1000 through the connector 102, if a messageof “no media” is received from the memory storage device 100 after aninquiry for the device characteristics is sent by the host system 1000to the memory storage device 100, a pre-format command may be issued bythe repairing application to instruct the memory controller 104 toperform a pre-format process to the memory storage device 100. Morespecifically, when the pre-format command is received by the memorycontroller 104, data in all of the physical units 410(0) to 410(N)within the usage area 1063 may be erased and a disk scanning may beperformed to all of the physical units 410(0) to 410(N) within the usagearea 1063, such that the normal physical units may be identified fromthe damaged physical units therein. If an available volume correspondingto the normal physical unit is inconsistent with the device volume ofthe memory storage device 100 (e.g., the available volume has no reachedthe device volume), the memory controller 104 may send a message relatedthe same to the host system 1000. After receiving the message, therepairing application may update the device volume to the availablevolume (e.g., updating the volume filed in the file allocation table)and control the memory storage device 100 to perform another check. Atthis time, since the device volume is consistence with the availablevolume, after the device characteristics in responding to the inquiry ofthe host system 1000 is replied by the memory storage device 100, therepairing application may continued to issue the writing command forwriting the customized data previously received back to the part of thephysical units within the usage area 1063. Namely, in the presentexemplary embodiment, before refilling the customized data to thecorresponding physical unit, the memory controller 104 is capable ofreceiving and identifying the pre-format command, and furtherdetermining whether a pre-format process is required to the memorystorage device 100 based on whether a pre-format command is received. Ifa pre-format process is required, the pre-format process is then beingexecuted first, followed by refilling the customized data to restore thememory storage device 100 to the factory setting.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a repairing method of a memorystorage device according to a first exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

Referring to FIG. 6, as shown in step S610, before the memory storagedevice 100 leaves the factory, the memory controller 104 divides all ofthe physical units within the rewritable non-volatile memory module 106into the backup area 1061 and the usage area 1063. In which, the backuparea 161 includes more than one of the backup physical units 405(1) to405(B), the backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) may be accessed onlyby the specific command set.

In step S620, the mass production tool is used by the manufacturer toformat the memory storage device 100 for the first time. In step S630,the memory controller 104 uses the specific command set to additionallywrite all customized data established during the first formatting whichbeing written into the usage area, to the backup physical units 405(1)to 405(B).

After the memory storage device 100 has left the factory, as shown instep S640, the memory controller 104 receives the specific read commandfrom the host system 1000 for reading the backup physical units 405(1)to 405(B) when the memory storage device 100 is connected to the hostsystem 1000 and capable of receiving and processing commands from thehost system 1000, and the specific read command belongs to the specificcommand set;

In step S650, the memory controller 104 transmits the customized datawithin the backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) to the host system1000.

As shown in step S660, the memory controller 104 writes the customizeddata from the host system 1000 into the corresponding physical unit torestore the memory storage device 100 to the factory setting whenreceiving the writing commands from the host system 1000 for writing thecustomized data.

FIG. 7 illustrates the detailed description of step S660 in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 7, firstly in step S710, the memory controller 104determines whether a pre-format process is required for the memorystorage device 100. Namely, determining whether the pre-format commandissued by the host system 1000 is received.

If the pre-format process is required, as shown in step S720, the memorycontroller 104 erases all physical units 410(0) to 410(N) within theusage area 1063, and performs a disk scanning to all physical units410(0) to 410(N) within the usage area 1063.

When step S720 is completed or a result to the determination of stepS710 is negative, in step S730, as for each writing command subsequentlyissued by the host system 1000, the memory controller 104 writing thecustomized data corresponding to each writing command back to a physicalunit mapped to the logical address in the usage area 1063.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

In the present exemplary embodiment, before the memory storage device100 leaves the factory, the memory controller 104 also divides thebackup area 1061 which may only be accessed by the specific command setfrom all of the physical units within the rewritable non-volatile memorymodule 106, and additionally backs up all customized data (establishedduring the first time of formatting) to the backup physical units 405(1)to 405(B) within the backup area 1061. However, the difference betweenthe first exemplary embodiment and the second exemplary embodiment lieswhere after the memory storage device 100 has left the factory and soldto the user, if only the boot code in the boot ROM 1047-1 can beexecuted by the memory controller 104 due to damages or loss of thefirmware code, the user may still execute the repairing applicationthrough the host system 1000 to restore the memory storage device 100 tothe factory setting.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a repairing method of a memorystorage device according to a second exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

Referring to FIG. 8, steps S810 through S830 shown in FIG. 8 are thesame as or similar to steps S610 through S630 shown in FIG. 6, and itwill not described again herein.

After the memory storage device 100 has left the factory, as shown instep S840, when the memory storage device 100 is connected to the hostsystem 1000, and if only the boot codes in the boot ROM 1047-1 can beexecuted by the memory controller 104 due to damages or loss of thefirmware codes, the user may execute the repairing application in thehost system 1000. After being executed, the repairing application mayissue the specific read command to the memory storage device for readingthe backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B). Accordingly, the memorycontroller 104 receives the specific read command for reading the backupphysical units 405(1) to 405(B) from the host system 1000 through theconnector 102.

Next in step S850, although the memory controller 104 may only executethe boot codes in the boot ROM 1047-1 currently, but since the bootcodes has been added with a function of directly reading the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106, so that the memory storage device 104may still read the backup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) according tothe specific read command, and transmit the customized data and therecovering structure table within the backup physical units 405(1) to405(B) to the host system 1000.

When each of the customized data and the recovering structure table arereceived by the host system 1000, one or more writing commands forwriting the customized data to the usage area 1063 of the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106 may then sent by the repairingapplication. As shown in step S860, the memory controller 104 writes thecustomized data into the corresponding physical unit according to thelogical addresses within each writing command to restore the memorystorage device 100 to the factory setting when receiving the writingcommands from the host system 1000 for writing the customized data.

Namely, in the second exemplary embodiment of the invention, althoughthe memory controller 104 may only execute the boot codes in the bootROM 1047-1 due to damages or loss of the firmware codes of the memorystorage device 100, the memory storage device 104 may still read thebackup physical units 405(1) to 405(B) within the rewritablenon-volatile memory module 106 according to the specific read commandfrom the host system 1000 and restore the memory storage device 100 tothe factory setting with the customized data backed up therein.

FIG. 9 illustrates the detailed description of step S860.

Referring to FIG. 9, in the present exemplary embodiment, the repairingapplication issues a writing command for writing burner software and thefirmware codes, so that the memory controller 104 may receive thewriting command for writing the burner software and the firmware codesfrom the host system 1000, as shown in step S910.

Next in step S920, the memory controller 104 loads the burner softwarefrom the host system 1000 into the RAM 1047-3. Next in step S930, thememory controller 104 executes the burner software to write the firmwarecode from the host system 1000 back to a physical unit within the usagearea 1063 that is mapped to a logical address included in the writingcommand for writing the burner software and the firmware codes. Fromanother viewpoint, the repairing application has a function that adoptsin-system-programming (ISP) method for correcting and updating thefirmware codes of the memory storage device 100. When the writingcommand for storing the firmware codes to the physical units within theusage area 1063 is issued by the repairing application, themicroprocessor within the memory management circuit 1043 may execute theboot codes within the boot ROM to load the firmware codes within theusage area 1063 to the RAM 1047-3 to complete the process of correctingand updating the firmware codes.

Next in step S940, the memory controller 104 determines whether apre-format process is required for the memory device 100 (i.e.,determining whether a pre-format command issued by the host system 1000is received).

If the pre-format process is required, as shown in step S950, the memorycontroller 104 erases all physical units 410(0) to 410(N) within theusage area 1063, and performs a disk scanning to all physical units410(0) to 410(N) within the usage area 1063.

Next in step S960, as for each writing command subsequently received,the memory controller 104 writes the customized data corresponding toeach writing command back to a physical unit in the usage area 1063mapped to the logical address included in the corresponding writecommand.

In view of above, the memory storage device and the repairing method ofthe invention writes the customized data established during formattingthe memory storage device for the first time into the backup physicalunits before the memory storage device leaves the factory. Since thebackup physical units may only be accessed by a specific command set,after being sold to the user, the content of the backup physical unitmay not be change by normal operations to the memory storage device fromthe user. Once failure or abnormal operation to the memory storagedevice occurs, the user may execute the repairing application providedby the manufacturer in the host system at client end. The memorycontroller of the memory storage device transmits the customized databeing backed up within the backup physical units to the host systemaccording to the instruction of the repairing application, and writeseach customized data to the physical units of the usage area accordingto the writing commands issued by the repairing application, therebyrestoring the memory storage device to the factory setting. In the casewhere the user has discovered that the memory storage device beingoperated abnormally, the user may restore the memory storage device tothe factory setting without sending it back to the manufacturer, leadingto convenience and time-efficiency. However, the advantagesaforementioned are not required in all versions of the invention.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the aboveembodiments, it is apparent to one of the ordinary skill in the art thatmodifications to the described embodiments may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of theinvention will be defined by the attached claims not by the abovedetailed descriptions.

What is claimed:
 1. A repairing method of a memory storage device havinga rewritable non-volatile memory module, the rewritable non-volatilememory module comprises a plurality of physical units, wherein thephysical units comprise at least one backup physical unit, and the atleast one backup physical unit is configured to be accessed only by aspecific command set, wherein the at least one backup physical unitstores at least one customized data, the method comprises: receiving aspecific read command from a host system for reading the at least onebackup physical unit when the memory storage device is capable ofreceiving and processing commands from the host system, wherein thespecific read command belongs to the specific command set; transmittingthe at least one customized data within the at least one backup physicalunit to the host system; and writing the at least one customized datafrom the host system into a corresponding physical unit to restore thememory storage device to a factory setting when receiving at least onewriting command from the host system for writing the at least onecustomized data.
 2. The repairing method of the memory storage device ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one backup physical unit further store arecovering structure table, and the recovering structure table records acorresponding relation between the at least one customized data and alogical address, wherein the logical address is mapped to a physicalunit corresponding to the at least one customized data, and the step oftransmitting the at least one customized data within the at least onebackup physical unit to the host system further comprises: transmittingthe recovering structure table and the at least one customized datawithin the at least one backup physical unit together to the hostsystem.
 3. The repairing method of the memory storage device of claim 2,wherein after the step of transmitting the recovering structure tableand the at least one customized data within the at least one backupphysical unit together to the host system, the method further comprises:sending the at least one writing command for writing the at least onecustomized data by the host system according to the recovering structuretable, wherein a logical address to be written included in the at leastone write command is the logical address corresponding to the at leastone customized data recorded in the recovering structure table.
 4. Therepairing method of the memory storage device of claim 3, wherein the atleast one customized data comprises at least one of a master boot record(MBR), a boot sector, a file allocation table, a root directory, adevice specification information, a customized application, a burnersoftware and firmware codes, and the step of writing the at least onecustomized data from the host system into the corresponding physicalunit to restore the memory storage device to the factory setting whenreceiving the at least one writing command from the host system forwriting the at least one customized data comprises: writing the at leastone customized data from the host system into the corresponding physicalunit by writing a customized data corresponding to each of the at leastone writing command back to a physical unit mapped to the logicaladdress included in the corresponding write command.
 5. The repairingmethod of the memory storage device of claim 4, wherein before the stepof writing the at least one customized data from the host system intothe corresponding physical unit to restore the memory storage device tothe factory setting, further comprising: determining whether apre-format process is required for the memory storage device; and if thepre-format process is required, erasing all physical units within ausage area, and performing a disk scanning to all physical units withinthe usage area.
 6. The repairing method of the memory storage device ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one customized data is related to aproduction information and a structure information of the memory storagedevice.
 7. A memory storage device, comprising: a rewritablenon-volatile memory module, comprising a plurality of physical units,wherein the physical units comprise at least one backup physical unit,and the at least one backup physical unit is configured to be accessedonly by a specific command set, wherein the at least one backup physicalunit stores at least one customized data; a connector; and a memorycontroller, coupled to the rewritable non-volatile memory and theconnector, wherein the memory controller is configured for receiving aspecific read command from a host system for reading the at least onebackup physical unit and transmitting the at least one customized datawithin the at least one backup physical unit to the host system when thememory storage device is coupled to the host system by the connector andcapable of receiving and processing commands from the host system,wherein the specific read command belongs to the specific command set;the memory controller is further configured for writing the at least onecustomized data from the host system into a corresponding physical unitto restore the memory storage device to a factory setting when receivingat least one writing command from the host system for writing the atleast one customized data.
 8. The memory storage device of claim 7,wherein the at least one backup physical unit further stores arecovering structure table, and the recovering structure table records acorresponding relation between the at least one customized data and alogical address, wherein the logical address is mapped to a physicalunit corresponding to the at least one customized data, and the memorycontroller is configured for transmitting the recovering structure tableand the at least one customized data within the at least one backupphysical unit together to the host system.
 9. The memory storage deviceof claim 8, wherein the at least one writing command sent by the hostsystem is configured for writing the at least one customized data, and alogical address to be written included in the at least one write commandis the logical address corresponding to the at least one customized datarecorded in the recovering structure table.
 10. The memory storagedevice of claim 9, wherein the at least one customized data comprises atleast one of a master boot record, a boot sector, a file allocationtable, a root directory, a device specification information, acustomized application, a burner software and firmware codes, and thememory controller is configured for writing the at least one customizeddata from the host system into the corresponding physical unit bywriting a customized data corresponding to each of the at least onewriting command back to a physical unit mapped to the logical addressincluded in the corresponding write command.
 11. The memory storagedevice of claim 10, wherein the memory controller is configured fordetermining whether a pre-format process is required for the memorystorage device before writing the at least one customized data into thecorresponding physical unit, if the pre-format process is required, thememory controller erases all physical units within a usage area, andperforms a disk scanning to all physical units within the usage area.12. The memory storage device of claim 7, wherein the at least onecustomized data is related to a production information and a structureinformation of the memory storage device.
 13. A repairing method of amemory storage device, wherein the memory storage device has arewritable non-volatile memory module and a boot ROM, and the rewritablenon-volatile memory module comprises a plurality of physical units,wherein the physical units comprise at least one backup physical unit,and the at least one backup physical unit is configured to be accessedonly by a specific command set, the method comprises: receiving aspecific read command from a host system for reading the at least onebackup physical unit when the memory storage device is coupled to thehost system and only capable of executing boot codes within the bootROM, wherein the specific read command belongs to the specific commandset; transmitting at least one customized data within the at least onebackup physical unit to the host system; and writing the at least onecustomized data from the host system into a corresponding physical unitto restore the memory storage device to a factory setting when receivingat least one writing command from the host system for writing the atleast one customized data.
 14. The repairing method of the memorystorage device of claim 13, wherein the at least one customized data isrelated to a production information and a structure information of thememory storage device.
 15. The repairing method of the memory storagedevice of claim 13, wherein the at least one backup physical unitfurther stores a recovering structure table, and the recoveringstructure table stores a corresponding relation between the at least onecustomized data and a logical address, wherein the logical address ismapped to a physical unit corresponding to the at least one customizeddata, and the step of transmitting the at least one customized datawithin the at least one backup physical unit to the host system furthercomprises: transmitting the recovering structure table and the at leastone customized data within the at least one backup physical unittogether to the host system.
 16. The repairing method of the memorystorage device of claim 15, wherein after the step of transmitting therecovering structure table and the at least one customized data withinthe at least one backup physical unit together to the host system, themethod further comprises: sending the at least one writing command forwriting the at least one customized data by the host system according tothe recovering structure table, wherein a logical address to be writtenincluded in the at least one write command is the logical addresscorresponding to the at least one customized data recorded in therecovering structure table.
 17. The repairing method of the memorystorage device of claim 16, wherein these at least one customized datacomprises at least one of a master boot record, a boot sector, a fileallocation table, a root directory, a device specification information,a customized application, a burner software and firmware codes, and thestep of writing the at least one customized data from the host systeminto the corresponding physical unit to restore the memory storagedevice to the factory setting when receiving the at least one writingcommand from the host system for writing the at least one customizeddata comprises: receiving a writing command for writing the burnersoftware and the firmware code from the host system; loading the burnersoftware from the host system into a RAM of the memory storage device;executing the burner software to write the firmware codes from the hostsystem back to a physical unit within a usage area mapped to a logicaladdress included in the writing command for writing the burner softwareand the firmware codes; and as for the at least one writing command thatis subsequently received, writing the at least one customized data fromthe host system into the corresponding physical unit by writing acustomized data corresponding to each of the at least one writingcommand back to a physical unit mapped to the logical address includedin the corresponding write command.
 18. The repairing method of thememory storage device of claim 17, wherein after the step of executingthe burner software to write the firmware codes from the host systemback to the physical unit within the usage area mapped to the logicaladdress included in the writing command for writing the burner softwareand the firmware codes, the method further comprises: determiningwhether a pre-format process is required for the memory storage devicebefore writing the at least one customized data from the host systeminto the corresponding physical unit; and if the pre-format process isrequired, erasing all physical units within the usage area, andperforming a disk scanning to all physical units within the usage area.19. A memory storage device, comprising: a rewritable non-volatilememory module, comprising a plurality of physical units, wherein thephysical units comprise at least one backup physical unit, and the atleast one backup physical unit is configured to be accessed only by aspecific command set; a connector; and a memory controller, coupled tothe rewritable non-volatile memory and the connector, the memorycontroller comprises a boot ROM, wherein when the memory storage deviceis coupled to a host system and the memory controller is only capable ofexecuting boot codes within the boot ROM, the memory controller isconfigured for transmitting at least one customized data within the atleast one backup physical unit to the host system while receiving aspecific read command from the host system for reading the at least onebackup physical unit, wherein the specific read command belongs to thespecific command set, the memory controller is further configured forwriting the at least one customized data from the host system into acorresponding physical unit to restore the memory storage device to afactory setting when receiving at least one writing command from thehost system for writing the at least one customized data.
 20. The memorystorage device of claim 19, wherein the at least one customized data isrelated to a production information and a structure information of thememory storage device.
 21. The memory storage device of claim 19,wherein the at least one backup physical unit further stores arecovering structure table, and the recovering structure table records acorresponding relation between the at least one customized data and alogical address, wherein the logical address is mapped to a physicalunit corresponding to the at least one customized data, and the memorycontroller is configured for transmitting the recovering structure tableand the at least one customized data within the at least one backupphysical unit together to the host system.
 22. The memory storage deviceof claim 21, wherein the at least one writing command sent by the hostsystem is configured for writing the at least one customized data, and alogical address to be written included in the at least one write commandis the logical address corresponding to the at least one customized datarecorded in the recovering structure table.
 23. The memory storagedevice of claim 22, wherein the at least one customized data comprisesat least one of a master boot record, a boot sector, a file allocationtable, a root directory, a device specification information, acustomized application, a burner software and firmware codes, the memorycontroller is configured for receiving a writing command for writing theburner software and the firmware codes from the host system, loading theburner software from the host system into a RAM of the memorycontroller, executing the burner software to write the firmware codesfrom the host system back to a physical unit within a usage area mappedto a logical address included in the writing command for writing theburner software and the firmware codes, and as for the at least onewriting command that is subsequently received, writing the at least onecustomized data from the host system into the corresponding physicalunit by writing a customized data corresponding to each of the at leastone writing command back to a physical unit mapped to the logicaladdress included in the corresponding write command.
 24. The memorystorage device of claim 23, wherein after executing the burner softwareto write the firmware codes from the host system back to the physicalunit within the usage area mapped to the logical address included in thewriting command for writing the burner software and the firmware codes,the memory controller is further configured for determining whether apre-format process is required for the memory storage device beforewriting the at least one customized data from the host system into thecorresponding physical unit, if the pre-format process is required, thememory controller erases all physical units within the usage area, andperforms a disk scanning to all physical units within the usage area.